, 1887-02-17
Alaska.

Officials in Alaska are urging upon
congress 4 plan FOR the organization
u that territory, and the house com
mittee on territories are Considering
the matter. All the government the
territory really needs, however, has
already been provided by the ACT ot
congress of 1881, which gives il 4
governor, a Judge and court. lis
only further needs OF legislation
would ba satisfied hy an act making
-Le homestead laws and tLoze relating
to Tie sale OF timber on government
land applicable 10 Alaska. Secretary
SeTa Il 5uiiled better than he knew
when h persuaded Us 10 buy Alaska
IT the tiMe OF It's purchase Bret IIaItc
in verse and Mark Twain in prose
salirizad The secretary and pictured
Alaska as It vast desert Of ice aud
snow thai was worthless save for It's
fish ana It's furs. Under the stagnant
ra.s OF Russia, Alaska was Of little
value, but under Yankee government
its resources have been so literally
developed that We find what was once
laughed at as Il bad bargain has be
come quite bonanza. There is no
difficulty IN winterinG aud feeding
stock in southeastern Alaska. Barley.
potatoes and root crops are raised
aEi there are Il number of fine vege g.
table gardens at Sitka and the vicin
lty. At Nraugle COWS, sheep and
chickens are raised and wintered
without shelter. In southeastern
Alaska the coldest day in Jaaraly
was 8 degrees abCvo zero, not muca
colder than It was here in Portland q
few days ago OF this month. There
are weekly papers printed 1T Sitka
and hrangle. Juneau las two saw
mills, q large three story hotel, with
billiard tables, offices, reading room.
mineral cabinet. etc She has also a
wholesale outhtting store, q second
MOTEL and restaurant, city water Nokrs,
a ire company with seventy.two
buckets, bell tower, a brass band, 4
club house and a resident physician.
to say nothing Of several ATTORNEYS
and district court. The gross value
OF her buildings Is assessed at SI25.-
UUu. Sitka has a fire brigade with
engine, FIRE bell, two-story carpan
ter shop, brass band, club house.
pase ball club. 4 weekly paper, resi-
dent physician, besides the United
states n;va! surgeon, two photograph
galleries, dramatic society. dancing
academy, classes IL languages. a do
batting society, iycsum. a good hotel.
several good boarding houses, water
works Tor the mission, hot>beds and
vegetable gardens, new fenses, new
houses, new sidewalks. HallocE's
New Alaska" recently published.
declares that the time IS close nj
hand when her forests will Yield their
treasures, her mines their rIcauess,
neg seas their abundance, and all her
qHleJ coyes be converted into busy
h*fOora- Her grassy islands VIII
pasture gOodly herds and her exuacr
ant soil teem with vegetables and fruit.
Ihe geld cu5 put from her sluc.er
fronts VIII be harvested for traasDor
tatiOn 10 the semi torFid IatituQes be
low; pleasure yachts Hill thread the
intrcacies OF aer studded islands, and
10 retreat for IATaid5 and summer
a-tnt nteiefS b4 haii 50 popular.
S!,ka has already become an at
tractIve watering place for summer
visitors. i"O steamers run regularly
un the SIkeeH rivpr from Nraug!e -
to Gianora, I3i niles, TRANSPORTING
goods - the Ossian mining cyuu.rV
III British Columbia. Three lar.
steamers fromLhe regular mail route
between Port Iowsanu, Victoria ana
SitEa, ana Ii new line 10 Tacoma :
projected Salmon cannerias aad oil
factories ara Increasing rapidly in
nuAaera. Ihe mining di5tr.cI .u
5ae Yukon > beng rapidly Developed.
On Dul@.H7 island Is 100 STAMP
alIst thar Las an output OF StOU,Cg1
4 month : naw five stamp mill hrs
been eata-lisArd Oh Cold creek and
Do, ,U9 has bcea expended ~ the
S-fyer bay quartz mine near Sitka.